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The Waqf Bill panel meeting faced tension on Friday after opposition members were suspended. Joint parliamentary committee chairman Jagdambika Pal said the meeting had to be adjourned because TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee used inappropriate language against him.

"Twice we had to adjourn the House. Today, we gave time to the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, which was a request from the opposition. For the first time, we saw Asaduddin Owaisi, who usually doesn't participate in bills in Parliament, also getting involved in the Waqf Bill. Kalyan Banerjee’s abusive language towards me felt intentional," said Jagdambika Pal.

"I kept asking him to stop, but he was causing a disruption, and Nishikant Dubey suggested suspending him and others," Pal added.

VIDEO | Here's what BJP MP Jagdambika Pal (@jagdambikapalmp), JPC chairman, said on Opposition members being suspended from Parliamentary panel on Waqf bill.

"A delegation had come (from Jammu and Kashmir) and the opposition (members) started shouting slogans and used derogatory… pic.twitter.com/Ocm3Rbk2m5

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 24, 2025

The suspended members include Kalyan Banerjee, Mohammad Jawed, A Raja, Asaduddin Owaisi, Naseer Hussain, Mohibullah, Mohamed Abdullah, Arvind Sawant, Nadeem-ul Haque, and Imran Masood.

The meeting began with opposition members arguing that they didn’t have enough time to review the proposed changes to the Waqf Bill.

Congress MP Imran Masood criticized the suspension, accusing the committee of rushing to take control of Waqf properties. He said that even though a meeting was agreed upon for January 25-26, it was now postponed to January 27. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Chairman of JPC on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Jagdambika Pal says, "Today's meeting has concluded. Two important delegations had come today, as witnesses. One delegation, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was from J&K. The other one was from Lawyers for Justice, which… pic.twitter.com/dUFCATX8an

— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2025

 

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Masood added that the committee was acting arbitrarily and was not serious about addressing the issue.

“They’re rushing things. From the start, it seems like they want to seize Waqf properties. The meeting was set for January 25 and 26, but now it’s pushed to the 27. They’re working without care and just want to take over the properties. We wanted the meeting on the 27 to be delayed to January 31. Things in the JPC are not good," said Imran Masood.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the leader of Mutahida Majlis-E-Ulema, spoke for a group of Ulemas from Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, and Kargil at the JPC meeting about the Waqf Bill. He strongly opposed the proposed changes, saying they were harmful to the Muslim community in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The proposed changes to the Waqf Act are not in the best interest of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. They aim to weaken the community. We were hoping the delegation would visit Kashmir to understand the real concerns of the people before moving forward with the bill," Mirwaiz said.

 

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